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Youth Philanthropy

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Michigan is a state full of dynamic and engaged youth philanthropists. Over 20 years ago, in efforts to increase the giving capacity of Community Foundations, and to engage youth in the grantmaking process, the W.K. Kellogg foundation sponsored a Youth Challenge for Community Foundations to grow youth endowment funds. These endowment funds were to be used exclusively for grants allocated by youth advisory committees for local nonprofits' youth programming. Today, there are over 1,500 young people serving on 86 youth grantmaking committees, endowment fund assets exceed $62 million and collectively give $1.5 million in grants per year.

These grantmaking committees are lovingly referred to as YACs, it can stand for Youth Advisory Committee, Youth Action Council, Youth Advisory Council, Youth Alliance Committee…and many others! Please keep that in mind as you navigate our web pages.

Michigan Youth Philanthropy celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2013! As part of our celebration, we commissioned a report that included surveys, focus groups, archival documents, and interviews with youth participants, adult advisors and leaders, to document the impact on youth, the participating community foundations and on the Michigan communities.

News & Information

Youth Advisory Committee (YAC), Youth Action Council (YAC), Youth Advisory Council (YAC)… while the names may differ, one central point we can agree upon: YACs are creating a pipeline for the next generation of social evangelists and change makers critically needed to solve the world’s most pressing issues.

W.K. Kellogg Foundation partnered with Crain’s Detroit Business to host leaders from the public and private sectors for a roundtable discussion on what the business community can do to address early childhood learning and development in Michigan. The roundtable titled, “Invest in Our Children, Our Economy, Our Future.”